Primary cell



Nov. 2l, 1939. E. A. sczl-Iulvczl-lI :R` si' Al.' 2,180,839

PRIMARY. CELL Filed June l'7, .1937

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- y INVENTORS ERwlN A. scHUMAcHER GEORGE. HE Isf:

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ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 21, 1939 PATENT OFFICE 2.189339 V rannmz cara.-

ErwinA. Schumacher. Lakewood, and George W. Heise, Rocky River, phio, alslgnorsto National Carbon Company, a corporation o't Ohio .'lppuoononv June l1. im. serial ivo. -Marzo A'l claim. icl. lss-lss) The invention relates to primary galvanic cells,

and more specifically to a primary cell having an alkaline electrolyte, a soluble metal anod'eand a porous carbon cathode, wherein cathodic depolarization is effected by transfer of oxygen from the air through the porous carbon cathode to the cathodic polarizing region.

An object of the invention is to provide an air depolarized cell having a nonspillable or ilnmobilized electrolyte. Another object is an an depolarized cell having improved life, improved service characteristics, and increased compactness. A further object is an air depolarized bat- 'tery of at layer type of construction. Another object is to provide an electrolyte having aregenerating substance uniformly distributed Itherein. Other objects will become apparent as th'e following description of the invention proceeds. One feature of this invention is an air depolarized cell -having a nonspillable or immobilized alkaline electrolyte comprising aqueous alkali and a gel or paste forming material. The alkali may be any suitable material oi this description, for instance. sodium hydroxide. The gel or paste material may likewisebe anv of a large number of such materials for example, cereal, starch. or cellulose puln or inorganic gels such as Mg(OH) z or Ca(OII) 2. which do not deleteriousiy aifect the active' ingredients ofthe electrolyte.

In a preferred form of the invention. Iche nonspillable or-immobilized electrolyte contains dispersed. and preferably uniformly distributed. electrolyte-regenerating material; For instance,

if the active ingredient of the electrolyte is sodium hydroxide. and the soluble anode is zinc, comminuted alkaline earth. zeolite, or bentonite. may be dispersed in the electrolyte to react with the zinc vcompounds of sodium formed in the cell reactions. and thereby to form insoluble zinc compounds and to regenerate the sodium hydroxide vfor reuse in the main cell reactions.

The following composition is an example of a -gel immobilized electrolyte which behaves effectively, the ingredients being heated and mixed,

and the mixture cooled to form a gel:

. Parts Starch. e. g. corn starch 15 to 30 Slaked lime, Ca(OH)2 50 to 200 Caustic soda, NaOH 200 to 250 Water 1000 A suitable paste immobilized electrolyte may be made by cold-mixing the same ingredients, but using a larger proportion of starch, say 30 to 60 parts of corn starch. The paste forms a more llgid'mass,-and is preferred for small cells which receive considerable handling.

An inorganic type of paste electrolyte may be formed by mixing say '70 grams of MgSO47H2O 5 I with 31 grams of solid NaOH, trituratingthe resulting mixture with cc. of aqueous NaOH solution containing 231 grams of NaOH per liter, and then stirring into thewet paste -25 grams of Ca(OH) z. 10

Typical` embodiments of lour invention are illus'trated in the accompanying. drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a partial cross section of one form of an air depolarized primary cell 4containing a 15 nonspillable electrolyte;l

Figure 2 is a partial cross section of an alternative form of cell in which the anode forms the cell container; and

Figures 3 and 4 are cross sections of air de- 20 polarized primary batteries in a at layer arrangement of cells.

The cell illustrated inFigure 1 comprises a container I 0 provided with a cover Il. Within the container I0 are a zinc electrode I3 and a porous 25 carbon electrode I2, the Alatter protruding through an aperture in the cover` II and sealed therein by athermoplastic material I5. A nonspillable electrolyte I4 surrounds the electrodes This embodiment of the invention 30 resembles the conventional liquid-electrolyte air depolarized cell in the general arrangement of parts.

The porous carbon cathode should be repellent to electrolyte but pervious to oxygen. Electrolyte 35 repellent porous carbon cathode materials, pervious to oxygen, are well known in the art and neednot be further described here.

The cathode should make good contact with the electrolyte Idespite the repellent nature of 40 the cathode material. In the present invention. good contact is assured by pretreating the cathode surface with hot liquid electrolyte, hot concentrated sodium hydroxide solution for instance, by spraying, brushing, or other suitable method of 45 thoroughly wetting the surface.

The embodiment shown in Figure 2 adopts the general shape of a conventional dry-cell, and comprises anv outer zinc electrode 23, forming a container, a centrally located porous carbon 50 electrode 22, and a nonspillable electrolyte I I. The top of the cell may be closed with a washershaped cover 2| and thermoplastic sealing material I5.

The embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4 is a 55 tery may be closed and sealed with thermoplastic or basket 42.

material I5.

Contact between the nonspillable electrolyte- 'I4 and the zinc electrode 33 is improved, and the service output of the battery is increased, if the separator 30 comprises cellulose treated with a caustic soda solution and impregnated with a sodium silicatel solution. Contact between the electrolyte I4 and the carbon electrode 32 is similarly improved if the latter is treated with hot caustic soda solution as .described above. Contact between the zinc electrode 33 and the carbon electrode 32 may be improved by the use of a cement comprising for example, 2 parts graphite, 1 part rosin, and 1/3 part boiled linseed oil.

The use of separators 30 and a relatively large body of electrolyte material I4, as shown in Figure 3, permits anodic reaction products to diffuse to some substantial distance from the zinc- 33 before precipitating, thereby decreasing the choking effect of the precipitate. However, as shown in the cell to the extreme right of Figure 4, the separator 3U, of pulp, paste, or gel, may serve as the sole`body of electrolyte.

The permissible current drain and the service life of the battery may be increased by the use of a porous carbon electrode provided with one or more Ventilating holes or grooves 36 (Figure 3) which provide more ready access of air to those portions of the electrode remote from the protruding edge of the electrode.

Contact between the carbon electrode 32 and the electrolyte I4 may be further improved, as shown in Figure 4, by the use of a metal (iron for example) perforated sheet 40 `or wire screen 4I next to the carbon. The perforated sheet or screen may surround the electrode as a sheath These constructions are particularly useful when the carbon electrodes 32consist of unbonded, or weakly bonded, granular carbon. Unbonded carbon tends to sift through the openings of the sheet, screen, or basket, and Y this tendency may be counteracted, if desired,

Vby the use of a separator 44 as shown on the electrolyte side of the basket 42. In some instances, the separator 44 may be used instead oi the basket 42. Loss of carbon grains through the top of the basket may be prevented by a porous cap or plug 43.

Other embodiments of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art, and those described above are illustrative examples.

The use of an immobilized or nonspillable electrolyte has many practical advantages in ad` dition to that of the inherently greater convenience of handling a dry cell construction. The

paste or gel electrolyte is slower than a liquid electrolyte to penetrate into the pores of the carbon cathode, and, if an unbonded carbon cathode is used, the paste or gel hinders the sifting of carbon through the openings in the screen or basket 43. Furthermore, the paste or gel electrolyte can hold in suspension the electrolyte regenerating material described above, thereby making the latter more readily available for reaction and more effective; moreover, a relatively large proportion of regenerator may be used, thereby increasing the service output of the cell. f

It will readily be apparent that many of the features of the invention which have been illustrated in connection with the at layer type of battery, such as the use of unbonded carbon,

anode; a porous carboncathode capable of transferring oxygen from the air to the cathodic polarizing region; s an electrolyte vcomprising sodium hydroxide in contact with the anode and cathode; electrolyte-immobilizing material selected from the group consisting of cereals, starch,V and cellulose pulp, in admixture with the electrolyte; land solid electrolyte-regenerating material, selected from the group consisting of alkaline earths, zeolites, and bentonite, dispersed in said electrolyte.

3. A cell as defined in claim 3, whereupon a separator composed essentially of caustic-treated cellulose impregnated with sodium silicate is provided between the anode and cathode.

4. A cell as .defined in claim 2, wherein the cathode is composed of.unbonded granular carbon and is .at least partially surrounded by an electrolyte-pervious member.

5. Ina cell as .defined in claim 2, a porous carbon cathode the surface of which is initially in intimate contact with concentrated alkali.

6. A battery comprising a plurality of the cells defined in claim 2 connected in series, the anode and cathode of each cell being in the shape of flat plates or strips, and electrical connection between adjacent cells being made by electrical contact of a face of the anode or cathode of each of said adjacent cells with a face of the cathode or anode, respectively, of the next adjacent cell.

7. A battery comprising a plurality of the cel defined in claim 2 connected in series', the anode and cathode of each cell being in the shape of a fiat plate or strip, and electrical connection between adjacent cells being made by electrical contact of a face of the anode or cathode of each of said adjacent cells with a face of the cathode or anode, respectively, of the next adjacent cell, and said contact being improved by an electrolyte-impervious layer of conductive bonding material.

ERWIN A. SCHUMACHER. GEORGE W. HEISE.

Patent NO. '2,180,859'

CERTIFIQATE OFCORRECTIQN;

. No'vember 21., 1959. -ERwIN A. sammelten.

It ie 'hereby certified thet error appears in theprinted specification of 'the above numbered patent requiring correction aes follows: Page 2 ,i secf i ond column, line MO, Ac1e1im5,"for "5, whereupon" read- 2. wherein; land that the s'aid Letters. Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed thisl 26th day' of DecemberfA. D. 1939'.

, Henry Van Arsdale, (Seel-V) ,Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

